The 901 is your morning blend of Memphis news and commentary

James Meredith unveils the James Meredith Building sign during the renaming ceremony of the 157 Poplar Avenue, the Shelby County Election Commission building in downtown Memphis, Tenn., on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019.(Photo: Ariel Cobbert, The Commercial Appeal)

Good morning from Memphis, where Collierville's Sophie Pittman is a finalist on FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance." But first...

On a June 8, 1966, Mississippi civil rights activist James Meredith was shot by a sniper as he led a "March Against Fear" from Memphis toward Jackson, Mississippi.

Now, 53 years later, one of the buildings he marched past bears his name.

How big a deal was the renaming? Well, to Meredith, it was "the most important event of my lifetime," Meredith said. And keep in mind that those are the words of the first black student at Ole Miss — or "New Miss," as the cap he was wearing read.

Buy Photo

James Meredith speaks at the renaming ceremony of 157 Poplar Avenue, the Shelby County Election Commission building in downtown Memphis, Tenn., on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019.(Photo: Ariel Cobbert, The Commercial Appeal)

The ceremony dovetailed with yesterday's news from The Tennessean that a federal judge has given the green light to a lawsuit against new state rules that advocates worry could have a chilling effect on voter registration applications. Here's what the law does:

The new law allows the state to charge voter registration groups with Class A misdemeanors if they knowingly or intentionally pay workers based on quotas; if they enroll 100 or more voters and don't complete state training, or if they enroll 100-plus voters and fail to ship completed forms by the deadline or within 10 days of registration drives.

Judge Aleta Trauger yesterday denied the state's motion to dismiss the two lawsuits filed by civil rights and voter registration organizations against the law, which she called a "punitive regulatory scheme." Not a great omen for the state's chances.

The law, you might remember, came after election offices around the state — including in Shelby County — were inundated with incorrect voter registrations in 2018. The Republican-controlled legislature seemed worried (despite a lack of evidence) that Democratic voter registration groups were playing fast and loose with registrations.

Putting aside the question of what will happen with the law, voter registration seems to be running smoothly in Shelby County this year. Early voting in the Oct. 3 Memphis municipal elections begins this Friday and ends two weeks and a day later. For early voting times and locations — including at the new James Meredith Building, although the name hasn't been changed yet in the document — see the elections website here.

Shelby County honored Meredith by putting his name on the building — and now it's voters turn. Honor him and his sacrifices by going inside and exercising your rights.

If you've followed the company for any length of time, the news wasn't much of a shock. For years, Fred's has struggled to compete in a field dominated by larger, better-capitalized, better-managed companies like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid, Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc. And in recent months, the company took a sharp turn for the worse, shedding hundreds of stores quicker than a Pomeranian does hair. Here's what Fred's chief executive had to say:

“Despite our team’s best efforts, we were not able to avoid this outcome,” Fred's CEO Joe Anto said in a statement. "I want to thank all of our employees for their hard work and continued support of the Company as we wind-down our operations.”

So, what does that mean for Memphis? Well, not much. On the corporate side, Fred's is a shadow of what it used to be, and has already sold off its headquarters building. On the retail side, the end of Fred's will mean the closure of its 568 remaining stores in 15 states in the southeastern U.S., including two in the Greater Memphis area — in West Memphis, Arkansas, and in Olive Branch, Mississippi. None are left in Shelby County.

Vergos remembered for caring, humor

Buy Photo

The Funeral of Nick Vergos, co-owner of The Rendezvous, took place at Hope Church in Cordova, Tn., on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019.
(Photo: Ariel Cobbert, The Commercial Appeal )

The best memorial services make people both cry and smile, and yesterday's service for Rendezvous restaurant co-owner Nick Vergos, who died Thursday, easily did both.

The hundreds of people gathered at Hope Church smiled and laughed at story after story of Vergos — and occasionally cried, too. From my write-up of the service:

There were tears Monday, but the crowd laughed more than it cried, thanks mostly to the humorous stories served up in the folksy style of Vergos' lifelong friend Jack Sammons, who is also the general chairman of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and a member of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority. But that's how Vergos wanted it. "Make 'em laugh," Sammons recalled Vergos telling him.

Buy Photo

The Reverend Rufus Smith, senior pastor of Hope Church, gives the benediction during the memorial service for Nick Vergos, co-owner of The Rendezvous, at Hope Church in Cordova, Tennessee, on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019.(Photo: Ariel Cobbert, The Commercial Appeal )

But what really drew the crowd in — that moment where the quiet transcended into silence — came when Hope Church senior pastor Rufus Smith told the story of a woman who asked her pastor if she could be buried with a fork in her hand. In his retelling, she explained that she was taught as a child to "keep the fork" when there's a better course coming — something like Vergos' banana bread pudding, Smith said.

"Keep the fork," Smith kept repeating, "keep the fork." Because the best is yet to come.

Later this month, Kamala Harris could become the second candidate for the Democratic nomination for president to visit Memphis this year (the first was Elizabeth Warren). Our Samuel Hardiman reports that a fundraiser is in the works.

Want to support local journalism? A Commercial Appeal subscription gives you unlimited access to stories and columns. You also get the ability to tap into news from the USA TODAY Network's 109 local sites across the country.